The New LDS Sunday Schedule, Explained (September 2026 Second Hour Changes)

By now you have probably seen the announcement, or at least seen the group texts about it. The First Presidency announced changes to the Sunday class schedule, and starting the first week of September 2026, the second hour of church is going to look different.

It is not uncommon for changes like this to set off a wave of speculation before anyone reads the actual details. So here is what was actually announced, and what I think it means for those of us doing the teaching.

The New Schedule

Sacrament meeting stays first and runs up to 60 minutes. After a five minute transition, the second hour classes meet, and this is where the changes are:

Sunday School is now 25 minutes, and it meets every single Sunday. Elders Quorum and Relief Society are also 25 minutes, also every Sunday, and they will be studying messages from the most recent general conference. The young men and young women get new Sunday curriculum built on the updated For the Strength of Youth guide, also in 25 minute classes. And Primary continues weekly at 55 minutes, with singing time and class time inside that block.

The stated reasons are worth reading in their own right: more focus on the teachings of Jesus Christ, stronger gospel learning at home, and more fellowship at church. We put the full breakdown, every meeting and every time block, on our schedule change page if you want it all in one place.

What Actually Changed for Teachers

Personally, I think the headline is not the shorter classes. It is the word weekly. Sunday School teachers used to have two weeks between lessons. Elders Quorum and Relief Society instructors taught a couple times a month. Starting in September, everyone teaches every week.

That is a real change in the rhythm of a calling. The classes are shorter, so each individual lesson is less to prepare. But the preparation never stops now. There is no off week to catch your breath.

With that, I think the Church's own guidance points at how to survive it. Meaningful discussion matters more than covering all the material, and Sunday lessons are meant to supplement home study, not replace it. A 25 minute lesson is one principle and a good conversation. If you try to carry your old 45 minute lesson into the new schedule, you will spend every week frustrated. If you let the shorter class change what a lesson even is, I think most of us will end up liking it.

The Elders Quorum and Relief Society Shift

The change I keep thinking about is Elders Quorum and Relief Society studying the most recent conference every week. That means a presidency needs a plan for which talk lands on which Sunday, and an instructor needs a fresh discussion ready every week. As members with jobs and kids and callings stacked on top of each other, that is a real ask.

That is honestly the situation we built ComeFollowMe.io for. You can pick a conference talk, set the lesson to 25 minutes, and get a discussion guide sized for the new class, with real questions and a flow that leaves room for the Spirit. It is a baseline, not a script, and the teaching is still yours.

Between Now and September

We have the summer to get ready, and I would use it. If you teach, try trimming a lesson or two down to one principle now, while the clock is still forgiving. If you are in a presidency, start talking about how you will pick talks each week. And if you are a parent, remember that the whole point of the change is that the home is the center. The best preparation for September is a family that is already reading.

The schedule is changing. But I do not think the job is getting harder. I think it is getting clearer.